Keyboard mechanism for typographical machines



March 25 1924.

. D. s. KENNEDY KEYBOARD MECHANISM FOR TYPQGRAPHICAL mcmuss Filed Feb. 26 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 q mvsmoa ATTOR EYS March 25, 1924. 1,487,784

D. S. KENNEDY KEYBOARD MECHANISM FORYIYPOQRAPHICAP MACHINES Filed Feb. 26 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I @WJ M Patented Mar. 25, 1924.

UNIro STATES av n s. KENNEDY, or BBQOKLYN,1\TEW YORK, assreivon TQ MERGENTHALER LIND- rYrE COMPANY, A oonrona'rIon-or new YORK...-

KEYBOARD MECHANISM FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL MACHINES.

Application filed February To all-whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID S. Knr nnnr, a citizen of the. United States, res1d1ng at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State a kind nowemployed in the. commercial, lin0-,.

type machine, or as illustrated in the U. S. patent to P; T. Dodge, No. 530,931. In these keyboard mechanisms, the finger'keys are connected through vertical actuating slides to trip. dogs or triggers which, in response to manipulation of the keys, control the actionof horizontally disposed poweroperated cam-yokes arranged to engage and actuate the matrix releasing devices, all as fully set forth in the said Dodge patent. To insure the proper operation of the keys board mechanism, it 'is essential that the actuating slides which connect the finger keys and tripdogsshould be kept thoroughly-clean and? in good condition, as otherwise they are apt to stick or bind and thus inter fere with the action of. the. power-operated: cam yokes. For these and other reasons, it is necessary at times toremove.the;.actu.-.

ating slides for inspection, cleaning or 'repair, the frequency of such removal depend! ing. upon the conditions under which the machine is being used. In prior constructions, the removal ofthe actuating slides is difficult and troublesome and; requires considerable time. As a matter of fact, it. is.

necessary to remove the entire keyboard mechanism from the machine and to dis-' the machine involves corresponding difl'iculties and delays.

The present invention is intended to obviate the foregoing disadvantages and aims to provide a construction whereby the actuating slides may be quickly and easily removed from or applied to the keyboard 'mechanism asa unit, and this even when the 26,1923. Serial No. 621,222.

main. keyboard frame is fixed inplacein the machine. specifically, the, actuating jslides are sup-- ported-in and carried by a special subsidiary frame which is designed-to be attached to on detached from the main keyboard frame at will. The invention also contemplates the use of a safety device which will pre vent the application or removal of the subsidiary frame except; when the finger keys are lockedagainst actuation and with their rear :ends depressed. These and other im provements will be fully set forth the detailed description to follow.

.Inv the accompanying. drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly insection and partly broken away, of the keyboard mechanism of a linotype machine equipped with the present improvements;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the improved subsidiary frame, shown with its central portion omitted and withjsome of the actu- .ating slides supported, therein; 7

Fig. 3 is a top plan'view of thekeyboard mechanism, with the cam yokes; and. their driving; rolls removed, and showing in par. ticular thelocki-ng means-for the finger'keys and the safety devices which prevent the removalof the subsidiary frame at an i m propert-ime; and:

Rig; 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a detail;

Asusual, the keyboardimechanism compri'ses'two series; of horizontally disposed. I

yoke's or levers. B arrangedwith their inner. endsin operative relation to the matrix releasing devices A and mounted at their opposite ends torock about transverse pivotwires or rods B Between their ends, the yokes B are provided with rotary cams or eccentrics C, journaled thereto as at O and adapted 'to be rotated by underlying power driven I rolls D, there being one roll for each series :of yokes. Normally, the cam-yokes rest upon. angular trip dogs or triggers E which support them at such height as the maintain, the cams C out of engagement with, therolls D, the cams in this position of the parts being held against rotary motion by their engagement withfixed stops C When, however, the trip dogs E are moved, the cam yokes B drop and dis-engage the cams C from the stops C bringing the cams into DV and causing'the yokes to be reciprocated contact with one or the other of the rolls in the usual manner. The trip dogs E are operated by a single series of vertical actuating slides F, formed at their upper ends with open notches f wherein the trip dogs loosely engage, every other slide being connected to the trip dogs of one series, and the intermediate slides being connected to the trip dogs of the other series. The actuating slides F are in turn operated by horizontal pivoted finger keys, or key levers G loosely engaged at their rear ends in open notches 7 formed in the forward edges of the slides. The finger keys B, as usual are arranged in a plurality of rows or tiers within a box-like casing G presenting an inclined front plate G and a vertical rear plate G both formed with elongated slots as shown, to guide the opposite ends of the key levers in their vertical movements. All of the parts above described, with the exception of the escapement reeds A (which are sustained in the fixed framework of the machine), are supported either directly or indirectly in the main keyboard frame H presenting at the rear and at opposite sides two upright posts H The foregoing parts and their mode of operation, except as hereinafter pointed out, are or may be the same as embodied in the commercial linotype machine, or as illustrated in the Dodge patent before referred to.

As before stated, the present invention is directed to a construction whereby the actuating slides F may be quickly and easily removed as a unit for inspection, cleaning or repair. Accordingly, said slides are sup ported in a subsidiary frame J detachabl 1 connected to the main keyboard frame In the present instance, the frame J is of rectangular form and comprises top and bottom members J J and side or end members J J, respectively, all secured together in the manner shown to make up a rigid unitary structure. In order to locate the subsidiary frame in roper position within the main keyboard rame, the members J and J are made of angular form so as to fit against the inner and rear faces of the two upright posts H and the latter are provided with dowel pins J adapted to pass through corresponding openings formed in the laterally extending portions of said members. Any suitable means capable of being quickly released may be employed to hold the subsidiary frame in place, the means herein shown consisting simply of a pair of screw bolts J passing loosely through holes or openings drilled through the upright posts H and screwed into threaded openings tapped in the laterally extending portions of the members J and J It will now be evident that to remove the subsidiary frame, it is merely necessary to unscrew the bolts J and slip it off the dowel pins J 5 from the rear, the frame carrying with it the entire series of actuating slides F. In providing for their support in the frame J, the slides F are formed in their rear edges with elongated notches F whose upper walls rest upon the top frame member J against which they are held by a detachable comb plate J bearing against the forward edges of the slides (Fig. 1); and at their lower ends, the slides are formed with reduced portions F arranged between a pair of comb plates J detachably secured to the lower frame member J (Fig. l). As thus mounted, the slides are free to be raised and lowered within the subsidiary frame when it is in place but are prevented from falling out of the frame when it is removed.

In the present embodiment, before removing the subsidiary frame J, it is necessary first to remove the rear series of cam-yokes B and their trip dogs E, as well as the rear power driven roll D. For this reason, these parts are all mounted in a removable subsidiary frame 0 detachably connected to the main frame H, as by means of screw bolts 0 substantially as set forth in my prior Letters Patent No. 888,17 7 After the removal of the frame 0 with the contained parts, the subsidiary frame J is then free to be removed in the manner above described, see the dotted line showing in Fig. 1. It may here be remarked that if the keyboard mechanism comprised only a front series of cam-yokes (as might be the case), the subsidiary frame could be removed at once without disturbing the yokes at all, seeing that the open notches in their forward edges would permit the slides to be automatically disengaged from the trip dogs and finger keys during the removal of the frame. The necessity for first removing the frame 0, however, is unimportant, as this can be done almost instantaneously and without difficulty.

As a further feature of this invention, means are provided to prevent the removal of the subsidiary frame except when the finger keys are locked against actuation and with their rear ends depressed. In carrying out this feature, it is proposed to make use of the improved locking device disclosed in my prior Letters Patent Nos. 1,397,970 and 1,897,971. This locking device is in the form of a plate K slidably mounted upon the fixed front plate G and formed with elongated slots through which the forward ends of the finger keys G extend, the plate K thus being practically a duplicate of theplate G As will be appreciated, in the forward or inactive position of the locking plate K, its elongated slots are in registry with the corresponding slots of the fixed plate G so that the finger keys are free to be depressed or actuated in the usual way (see Fig. 1); but when the locking plate is in its rearward or-active position; its slots are out of registry with those of the fixed plate and present their lower end walls beneath and in engagement with the bottom edges of the finger keys, which are thus locked against depression or actuation. In order to effect the depression of-the rear endsof the finger keys, the plate K is arranged to move rearwardlyato such extent that the lower end walls-of its slots pass beyond a mere look ing position and act beneath the forward are thus depressed, they will stand clear of or out of engagement with the actuating slides F, which'therefore are free to be removed from or; applied to the keyboard without any danger of-i'nterference with the finger keys.- Adjustment of the I looking plate K is effected by meansof the cam plate K as in' theprior patents above mentioned'. 1

Connectedtoand ing plate K isa pairofbell crank levers L pivoted, as at L to opposite sides of the keyboard casing G Thelonger arms of these levers-are provided at their extremities with shields L covering the fastening screws J 6 which hold the subsidiary frame J in place. In the normal condition of the parts, as shown in Fig. 1, (i. e., with the locking plate K in its inactive position), the shields L completely cover the fastening screws J and prevent access thereto, but when the locking plate K is shifted to its active position, the levers L carry the shields L downwardly to expose the. screws, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. In this latter condition of the parts, the subsidiary frame is free to be removed, the finger keys being locked and depressed as required. The

same conditions hold true, of course, in ap-' plying or restoring the subsidiary frame to the machine, this being permitted or prevented according to the position of the shields L as determined by the adjustment of the locking plate.

The invention has been shown herein only in preferred form and by way of example and as applied to a keyboard mechanism of the class described, but obviously many changes and alterations may be made therein and in its mode of application, which will still be comprised within its spirit. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or em bodiment except in so far as such limitations are specified in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, its construction and made of operation, what I claim is, as follows:

1. In a keyboard mechanism of the class described, the combination of a. series of power-operated devices, key-controlled actuating slides governing the action of said devices, and a supporting frame carrying the actuating slides, the said frame with the contained slides being mounted for removal or replacement as an independent unit.

2. In a keyboard mechanism of the class described, the combination with a series of power-operated cam-yokes, trip dogs therefor, finger keys, and actuating slides connecting the finger keys and trip dogs, of a separate supporting frame carrying the actuating slides and mounted so as topermit the ready removal or replacement of said slides as an independent unit.

3. In a keyboard mechanism of the class described, the combination with a series of power-operated cam-yokes, trip dogs therea v .to the main frame. operated by the lock- 4-. In a keyboard mechanism of-the class described, the combination with a series of power-operated'cam-yokes, trip dogs therefor, finger keys, and actuating slides connecting the finger keysand trip dogs, of a main frame giving support to the various parts, and a subsidiary frame carrying the actuating slides and detachably. connected to the main frame, the said subsidiary frame being removable bodily in a rearward direction for the purpose described.

5. In a keyboard mechanism of the class described, the combination with a series of power-operated cam-yokes, trip dogs there for, finger keys, and actuating slides connecting the finger keys and trip dogs, of a main frame giving support to the various parts, a subsidiary frame carrying the actuating slides,'means for locating the subsidiary frame in proper position with the main frame, and means releasable at will forsecuring the subsidiary frame in such posltion.

6. In a keyboard mechanism of the class described, the combination with a series of power-operated cam-yokes, trip dogs therefor, finger keys, and actuating slides conmain frame giving support to the various parts and presenting two upright posts at opposite sides, a subsidiary frame of rectangular form carrying the actuating slides and having its end members formed to fit over the upright posts, dowel pins to locate the subsidiary frame in proper position Within the main frame, and means for detachably securing the two frames together.

8. In keyboard mechanism of the class described, the combination With a front and a rear series of cam-yokes and trip dogs, finger keys, and actuating slides connecting the finger keys to the trip dogs of both series, of main frame giving support to the various parts, a subsidiary frame carrying the rear series of cam-yokes and trip dogs and detachably connected to the main frame, and a further subsidiary frame carrying the actuating slides and also detachably connected to the main frame.

9. In a keyboard mechanism of the class described, the combination with a series of power-operated cam-yokes, trip dogs therefor, finger keys and actuating slides connecting the finger keys and trip dogs, of a removable supporting frame carrying the actuating slides, and means to prevent the removal of said frame at an improper time.

10. In a keyboard mechanism of the class described, the combination of a series of finger keys, 9. locking device therefor, actuating slides operated by the finger keys, a removable supporting frame carrying the actuating slides, and means for preventing the removal of the supporting frame except When the locking device is in active position.

11. In a keyboard mechanism of the class described, the combination of a main frame, a series of finger keys, a locking device therefor, actuating slides operated by the finger keys, a removable subsidiary frame carrying the actuating slides, releasable means for fastening the subsidiary frame to the main frame, and means controlled by the lockin device to prevent access to the releasable fastening means except when the locking device is in active position.

12. In a keyboard mechanism of the class described, the combination of the finger keys G, the actuating slides F, the main keyboard frame H, and the removable subsidiary frame J carrying the actuating slides F, all substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof, I have affixed my signature hereto.

DAVID S. KENNEDY. 

